If its a sporting event aired on a Turner-affiliated platform, Ernie Johnson is there.
Turner-owned WarnerMedia has set the match and pre-game announce team for the one-on-one golf showdown between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson that will take place on Black Friday, Nov. 23.
Johnson, who is best known for hosting TNT’s NBA studio coverage, will serve as the play-by-play announcer alongside pro golfer Darren Clarke and Golf Channel’s Peter Jacobsen. Fox Sports golf reporter Shane Bacon and former LPGA golfer Natalie Gulbis will serve as reporters.
For the one-hour pregame show, however, Jackson will join TNT’s popular NBA studio analyst, and amateur golfer, Charles Barkley. Bleacher Report’s Adam Lefkoe will host with three-time PGA Tour winner Pat Perez joining as well. The pre-game team will also be featured within the match coverage.
The highly-anticipated showdown, where the winner will take home $9 million in prize money, will cost viewers $19.99 on pay-per-view.
The match, dubbed “Capital One’s The Match: Tiger vs. Phil,” will be held at MGM Resorts International’s Shadow Creek in Las Vegas and will be distributed by WarnerMedia and produced by Turner Sports. The AT&T-owned company will distribute the match through Turner’s B/R Live, DirecTV and AT&T U-verse, as well as on other cable, satellite and telco operators in the U.S. and Canada.
As part of the live event, Woods and Mickelson will selectively make side-challenges against one another during the match. For instance, Woods or Mickelson could raise the stakes by challenging the other to a long-drive, closest-to-the-pin or similar competition during a hole as they play their match, with money being donated to the winning golfer’s charity of choice.
While both are past the prime of the careers, the championship golfers have won a combined 19 majors, and 42-year-old Woods has seen a huge resurgence in both his performance and his popularity in 2018.
The media rights agreement with Turner was completed in partnership between CAA Sports, Excel Sports Management and Lagardère Sports. Broadcast talent will be announced in the coming weeks.